RP: Virtus Fabulae/Uncle Morrigan
This VF side story takes place thirty six years prior to the current date in the RP's timeline, roughly fourteen years after the beginning of the Crimson Ages and opening of the Slip Portals. ---- Doctor Edward Daliphaemous Morrigan tapped his chin as his covered eyes drifted over the many shelves of tomes and scrolls before him, the short man's height barely matching that of the fifth row of Non-Fiction Novels. The silver haired Sage was well-dressed as usual, wearing a dark green business suit with a peaked lapel, golden buttons and cufflinks, and a red kerchief in his breast pocket; upon his right, middle finger was an extravagant golden band with an emerald rune engraved in the ring's thickest segment. There were two aspects of his formal attire that were not of the norm however; the Sage's eyes were hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses, despite the dim light within Medies Refuge's athenaeum, and over his suit he wore a long trained, short sleeved, grey overcoat. The latter portion of his outfit represented Morrigan's position as an Arch-Sage of the Keepers, the Council of Sages who guarded and enforced the Laws of Magic; stated in the original volume of the Codex. The Sage smiled as his gaze fell upon the empty space he was looking for and returned it's book, turning back to the dolly full of other literary works in order to continue his methodical endeavor. He always enjoyed the quiet rows of bookshelves, decorated with intricate carvings on either end of them; the silver chandeliers above casting a faint, but comfortable glow upon the multitude of sections. The athenaeum was Morrigan's own dimensional space, which he had made open to the other mages of the Refuge for use in their researches, or as merely a silent place to settle down and read a good novel. Unfortunately, like any other library accessible to the masses, there was always work to be done within the labyrinth of shelves and occasional open areas; filled with tables and comfortable chairs. He occasionally found towers of opuses stacked rather haphazardly in the aisles, ready to avalanche at the slightest touch, and at other instances a certain Volume would go missing for a few months, only to turn up again in the completely wrong section. He tried not to let the little things upset him, but when he finds ten to twenty thousand year old tomes laying open so their spines deform, or with their pages creased from someone attempting to save their space... it was rather irksome for the Arch-Sage. He sighed a little as he turned down another avenue; discovering what seemed to be a fortress of books that had been built by the Refuge's younger residents. Keeping his left fist tucked neatly in his pocket, he waved his free hand through the space before him; the castle of volumes neatly disassembling themselves, floating away to their respective spaces upon the lower shelves. Morrigan chuckled at his work, adding two more missing books to the collections before moving on, "Good evening, Edward," The Sage's sister surprised Morrigan, her soft voice sounding from behind him. He turned quickly, smiling at his sibling, "Is it that late already?" He questioned, "By the gods does time fly when you're having fun!" Edward exclaimed, pulling his left hand from his trouser pocket, a golden watch emerging along with it. His sister grimaced a little at the sight of his hand; it looked dead, his skin a dark gray and wrinkled, his fingernails black, his bones easily visible through the thin flesh, "How is it today, brother?" Vivian asked, concerned with her older sibling's health, "Does it still burn?" "Day in and day out, but I've grown accustomed to the pain," Morrigan smiled, his cheerful mood unchanged as he tucked his watch and hand back into his pocket, "How was the gathering?" "Eventful as usual. You should have been there to see for yourself," She stated, crossing her arms over her chest. Vivian shared her brother's short height, but was still taller then him by a good two inches. Her hair was a dark brown, and her eyes a cool green; she also wore the traditional Arch-Sage overcoat, though she had hers closed around her rather then leaving it loose like Morrigan. Edward chuckled to her comment, turning to push the dolly further down the aisle, "I have much more entertaining things to do then listen to Arch-Sage Zephyr and your boisterous husband, Richard, argue over the most petty situations," The Sage replied smartly, placing tomes as he continued through the athenaeum, his sister at his heals, "Like it or not, you are a part of the council as well, Edward. They still need your input in order to make decisions for the betterment of the Refuge," Vivian argued, "And I make my opinions known to others when Arch-Sage Andromeda makes the subject of the council's quarrels known to me. Dear Silas doesn't have a problem with coming to me, so why should I waste my precious time going to him or the other Keepers?" The sage responded, placing the last, 631 Page "Dictionary of Ancient Words; Volume XI", within the massive space it usually occupied on the self to his right, "Must you always be a smart-ass with me?" Vivian sighed, shaking her head a bit; Morrigan let out a short laugh, "A wise man from Elderpeak City once said to me; 'it is better to be a smart-ass, then it is to be a dumb-ass'," The Sage grinned, parking the dolly against the wall before heading back towards the athenaeum's center, hearing his sister's annoyed groan to his rear. The cry of an infant suddenly escaped from within Vivian's overcoat, causing the woman to unbutton the garment and reach into the enchanted pouch on her waist; she used the container as a portable play-pen for her thirteen-month-old baby, Jackson. She gently rocked the crying babe, trying to calm him down, "I think he's a little hungry, do you mind watching him while I go get his food?" She asked her brother, "Not at all, dear sister!" Edward smiled, pulling his scarred hand from his pocket and taking young Jackson in his arms, "I will not allow any harm to come to a nephew of mine... you have my word," The Sage promised, gently rocking the Seraphim boy to keep him calm. Vivian smiled and took her leave for the time being, leaving them alone in the athenaeum. Edward smiled as Jackson took hold of his finger, the baby's entire right arm was covered in runic markings, and the few locks of hair growing in were so silver that even in the dim light from the chandeliers above reflected off of the soft strands, "You're going to be a strong one, dear nephew..." Morrigan smiled, letting a tiny bit of his mana to flow into Jackson; whose markings and eyes shimmered a faint blue color. The small babe began to whine once more; Edward slowly took off his glasses, hooking one of the arms into his collar as he gazed into Jackson's eyes directly. The child stopped crying as he beheld his uncle's own arcane "markings"; the Sage's right eye sparkled with bright, golden light as a white, flower-like design rotated around his iris; his left eye however wavered with dark energy, it's iris and pupil combined by a cloud of shadow. Morrigan shushed quietly to the baby, gently rocking Jackson as his mother had done, "Its alright, little one... uncle Morrigan's here..."